Battery-depolarizer.



MAJOR E. HOLMES, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOIt TO NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY,

. OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BATTERY-DEPOLA RIZER.

To all whom it may concern:

citizen of the United States, residing at Lakewood, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful-Improvement in' Battery-Depolarizers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptiom This invention relates to an improvement in battery depolarizers for dry cells. In such batteries, a manganese compound in an intermediate state of oxidation is almost exclusively used, while in my invention the material to be used is in a low state of oxidation, but has, nevertheless, a large oxygen content. As is well 'known the former compounds are usually either the-oxids or manganese-oxyydrogen compounds such as hydrated oxids.

My invention relates particularly the,

use of a compound containing manganese, oxygen and hydrogen, which is not, how ever, either a hydroxid or a hydrated oxid, but is a manganese perhydrol. V

The use of 'hydrated'manganese peroxid as a depolarizer is well known to the applicant and in distinction to the use of such hydrated forms of manganese peroxid, this invention relatesto the use of a perhydrol of manganese for the same purpose In the'use of hydrated manganese peroxid, difliculty is liable to be encountered as it tends to interact with the solutions in the dry cell to liberate an acidthereform. The

acid liberated, upon permeating through'the mix, will tend to produce corrosion by attacking the zinc. The depolarizer, zinc and chemicals would thus be consumed on open circuit.

The objects of my invention are to obviate this disadvantage and to' secure a more efficient depolarizer.

In accomplishing this result, I make use of the manganese compound mentioned,

Which although identical-in regard to the chemical constituents has very different physical and chemical properties. Manganese perhydrol is obtained, for example, by mixing neutral'or slightly acid potassium Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 2'2, 1915, Application filed November 22, 1913. Serial No. 302,540.

permanganate with neutral or very slightly acid manganese sulfate at approximately the boiling temperature of the solution, in the absence of any metallic bases or salts.

The perhydrol, which may be regarded as the hydroxid with one hydro en atom replaced by an 'OH radical, di ers from the hydrated peroxid in that instead of having v an acid reaction, it has a neutral or a weak basic reaction, and therefore, it will not liberate an acid by reacting with certain chemicals in the electrolyte of the cell.

The structural formula of the perhydrol of manganese may be illustrated by the following as'others 'may My 'nventlon is not to be limited to specific perhydrol mentioned also be used.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

In a dry cell, positive and negative electrodes and a depolarizing mix containing a perhydrol of manganese, having the structural formula represented by In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

MAJOR E. HOLMES.

Witnesses:

IRA J. ADAMS, H. G. Gnovmz. 

